Plus, do celebrities matter in a crisis?
   
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By Victoria King

 
 

Care home testing

 
 
Coronavirus latest

The situation in the UK's care homes has come under the spotlight in recent days, with the government accused of "forgetting" the sector while coronavirus "runs wild". However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock is now promising all residents and staff showing symptoms will be tested. So too will anyone moved to a home from hospital. Currently, only the first five symptomatic residents are tested to confirm an outbreak. The level of testing in general in the UK has been a focus of criticism for weeks. Here,  some of those afraid for their loved ones living in care homes speak to the BBC, and read more on why testing matters so much.

 

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is urging the government to publish an exit strategy from the coronavirus lockdown this week. The lockdown is likely to be extended on Thursday, and Sir Keir said to maintain morale and hope "people need a sense of what comes next". However, the government insisted talking about an exit before the virus had reached its peak risked confusing the public.

 

Much of the focus on Tuesday was on the potential economic impact of the crisis, with dire predictions from experts. A huge package of support has been put in place, but the BBC has spoken to some of those small businesses struggling to access it.

 

Amid the gloom, we keep hearing stories of remarkable personal contributions. Read about the 99-year-old Army veteran who has raised more than £4m by completing laps of his garden using a walking frame. Plus, watch the cleaning company sanitising public spaces free of charge.

 

In one of our latest analysis pieces - all gathered together here - BBC Reality Check breaks down the data to see which regions of the UK have been worst affected by the virus. We've also put together a jargon buster to help you decipher all the language around the pandemic.

 
 
 

Around the world

 
 

Donald Trump says the US is suspending funding to the World Health Organization, accusing it of severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the virus after it first emerged in China. The president - who has been criticised for his own response to the pandemic - has previously accused the WHO of being biased towards China. The US is the WHO's biggest funder and UN Secretary-General António Guterres said now was "not the time" to cut resources.

 

Elsewhere, parliamentary elections are going ahead in South Korea with tight hygiene measures and social distancing in place. Singapore has made it mandatory to wear facemasks outside the home as the number of deaths continues to rise. And in China, early-stage human tests for two experimental vaccines have been approved as the country tries to deal with a growing number of imported cases.

 

In Europe, some countries are beginning to ease restrictions on economic activities, but in Italy, lockdown is entering its sixth week. The BBC's Jean Mackenzie has spoken to bar and restaurant owners there struggling to see a future. Meanwhile, see what life is like on one island in Estonia where half of the population is thought to have the virus.

 

Follow our live page for all the latest from around the world.

 
 
 

Lockdown conundrums

 
 

The need to impose restrictions on everyday life is coming up against a range of competing local circumstances which complicate matters. How, for example, do you stay at home when your home is destroyed? That's the situation facing Pacific Island communities hit by Cyclone Harold. In India, meanwhile, authorities are struggling to deal with migrants who have been running away from quarantine centres . Finally, should one size of lockdown fit all? Not according to two experts who've shared their views with the BBC. They say in Africa ordinary people have to be involved in choosing the solutions that will work for them.

 
 
 
 

Clues from beyond the grave into Iran's death toll

 

The video shows a mortuary worker at a cemetery surrounded by dozens of bodies. It was filmed in the main cemetery in Qom, a holy city in central Iran. It was where coronavirus first began spreading in the country. In the footage, the mortuary worker says all the bodies are of victims of coronavirus, though the BBC cannot verify his claims. But it's what he says next that captured the internet's attention. In a passing comment, he explains that some of the corpses had been in the morgue for five or six days.  

 
 
 
 
 
  Read full analysis >   
 
 
 
 

Behrang Tajdin & Louise Adamou

BBC Persian

 
 
 
 
 

What the papers say

 
 
Paper review

The situation in Britain's care homes is covered widely. "Are people dispensable?" is the question asked by one nursing home manager in the Guardian. The Metro describes care homes as the "forgotten front line", while the Daily Mail's Ian Birrell believes what's happening is a "callous betrayal" which "shames politicians" who are "spouting platitudes". The Daily Telegraph's Jill Kirby is similarly critical, writing that there is a "dismal irony" that the UK's "national and quasi-religious obsession" with the health service has pushed care homes out of the picture. Other papers analyse those ominous economic forecasts we mentioned earlier. "More austerity would be a cruel slap in the face," says the Daily Mirror, and argues life should not be made harder for the less well-off when the lockdown is lifted. The Sun's leader suggests restarting the economy is not just a "lives versus money and jobs" debate, and there should be more consideration given to possible deaths from poverty, unemployment and tax rises from a "paralysed" economy.

 
 
 

One thing not to miss

Do celebrities still matter in a crisis?
 
 
 
 

From elsewhere

 
 
 

Coronavirus puts class dimension of mobility into sharp focus (The Conversation)

 
 
 
 

15 countries, 16 people. How workers are coping with the pandemic (CNN)

 
 
 
 
 
 

This is what it's like to be furloughed when you've got three kids to support and £39 in the bank (Buzzfeed)

 
 
 

The lifeline pipeline - the status of treatments in the virus battle (Reuters)

 
 
 
 

Listen up

 
 

In the latest episode of the Coronavirus Newscast, the team discusses the dire predictions being made for the UK economy. Or for something different, enjoy the Lockdown Virtual Gig, from BBC Radio 5 Live, with performances from artists including KT Tunstall and Jack Savoretti.

 
 
 

Need something different?

 
 

In the year since fire devastated Notre Dame, the cathedral has been a hive of construction and restoration. Now all of that has fallen silent - take a look inside. From one set of photographs to another, and see the work of Fran Monks, who has set about documenting this extraordinary time - at a distance. Finally, in this fascinating video from BBC Ideas, look closely at our eyes and what they can tell us about ourselves.

 
 
 

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